Live Online Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
Live online, instructor-led · next cohort Nov 2, 2026 · from USD 800
Decisions on programmes, policy and markets are only as good as the data behind them, and weak questionnaires, biased samples and untrained enumerators quietly ruin otherwise expensive surveys. Five days give researchers and monitoring teams a full workflow for collecting reliable data. You start by defining research questions and indicators, choose between probability and non-probability sampling, calculate sample sizes and write questions that avoid leading wording, double-barrelled items and social desirability bias.
The larger part of the week is hands-on. You build digital forms with skip logic, constraints, repeat groups and cascading choice lists in KoboToolbox and ODK, deploy them to Android devices, capture GPS and photos, and sync data offline. Further sessions cover enumerator training, pre-testing, supervision and back-checks, remote and phone surveys, cleaning and validating data in Excel, ethics and consent, and protecting personal information. The course is built for monitoring and evaluation officers, research assistants, statisticians, programme staff, field supervisors and students in NGOs, government agencies, universities and market research firms. Delivery is classroom, online or in-house with a CPD-accredited certificate. Afterwards you can field a pilot survey from design to a clean data set.
At a Glance
How Live Online Training Works
Live online training, led by a trainer in real time, for participants anywhere.
More about live online training →- Format
- Live online, instructor-led
- Duration
- Mon - Fri (5 Days)
- Fee
- USD 800 (KES 80,000)
- Next start dates
- Nov 2, 2026, Nov 30, 2026, Dec 28, 2026
- Certificate
- Certificate of Completion
- What you need
- A computer with a reliable internet connection, a webcam and a headset
About this course
Paper questionnaires, late data entry and inconsistent field practices still delay many surveys across the region, and the errors they introduce are often discovered only at analysis. Mobile data collection removes much of that friction, but it does not fix a poorly designed instrument or a sample that cannot support the conclusions drawn from it. Practitioners need both the methodological foundations and the technical fluency to apply them on tablets and phones.
This programme takes participants through each stage of a field survey. It begins with research design, indicators and sampling, moves to questionnaire construction and translation, and then teaches form building with open-source mobile tools. Later sessions deal with piloting, enumerator recruitment and training, quality assurance during fieldwork, server management, and the cleaning and documentation of the finished data set.
Participants work on a single survey project throughout the week, building their own tool, testing it with colleagues as respondents and examining the results on a server. Time is also given to ethics, data protection, consent for minors and sensitive topics, and accessibility. Each person leaves with a tested form, a field manual outline and a data cleaning script or checklist for use in their next assignment.
Training Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Translate research questions into measurable indicators and a survey design.
- Select a sampling method and calculate a defensible sample size.
- Write clear, unbiased questions and structure a logical questionnaire.
- Build mobile forms with validation, skip logic and repeat groups in Kobo, ODK or CommCare.
- Plan and run enumerator training, pilot testing and field supervision.
- Clean, validate and document survey data using spreadsheets.
- Apply consent, ethics and data protection practices to field collection.
What you'll learn
Key Takeaways
Participants leave the course with:
- A tested mobile survey form built to professional standards.
- A sampling plan with a worked sample size calculation.
- A field manual outline and enumerator training agenda.
- A quality assurance checklist covering back-checks and spot checks.
- A data cleaning checklist and a documented sample data set.
- A consent script and data protection note for their own surveys.
Training Methodology
The programme is delivered as a guided survey project, with most hours spent at a keyboard or on a device. It features:
- Laptop labs using free tools and Android phones or tablets
- A mock field exercise in which participants interview each other
- Instrument clinics that critique wording, flow and logic
- Practice back-check and cleaning tasks on a deliberately messy data set
- Reference sheets for XLSForm syntax to use after the course
Day 1: Survey Planning and Sampling
- From research questions to indicators and data needs
- Cross-sectional, panel and mixed-method designs
- Probability sampling: simple random, stratified, systematic and cluster
- Non-probability approaches and their limits
- Sample size calculation, design effect and non-response
- Exercise: drawing a sample from a household list
Day 2: Questionnaire Design
- Question types, response scales and coding
- Common biases and how wording creates them
- Sensitive topics and ordering of sections
- Translation, back-translation and local language adaptation
- Cognitive testing and pre-testing
- Exercise: critiquing and rewriting a faulty questionnaire
Day 3: Building Mobile Forms
- Mobile data collection platforms: KoboToolbox, ODK and CommCare compared
- XLSForm structure: survey, choices and settings sheets
- Skip logic, constraints, calculations and required fields
- Repeat groups, cascading selects and multimedia capture
- GPS, photos and signatures in the field
- Lab: building and deploying a full household form
Day 4: Fieldwork and Quality Assurance
- Recruiting and training enumerators
- Piloting the tool and revising it
- Device management, offline sync and server administration
- Supervision, spot checks and back-checks
- Remote data collection by phone and web
- Exercise: monitoring submissions for suspicious patterns
Day 5: Cleaning, Ethics and Delivery
- Exporting data and checking for duplicates, outliers and missing values
- Cleaning workflows in Excel and a data dictionary
- Consent, confidentiality and working with children or vulnerable groups
- Data storage, anonymisation and sharing rules
- Preparing a survey report and data handover
- Action planning and course review
The course suits people who commission, design or carry out data collection, including:
- Monitoring and evaluation officers and data managers
- Research officers and survey coordinators
- Field supervisors and enumerators moving into lead roles
- Programme staff in health, education, agriculture and livelihoods
- Statisticians and planning officers in national and county government
- Market research and social research analysts
- University researchers and postgraduate students
- Consultants conducting baselines and evaluations
On attending all sessions and completing the form-building and cleaning exercises, participants receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course Venues
KenyaNairobiNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,500- KenyaMombasaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,600
- KenyaNaivashaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaKisumuNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,500
- KenyaMachakosNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,600
UgandaKampalaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$1,900
RwandaKigaliNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,900
TanzaniaArushaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$1,900- TanzaniaDodomaNext Oct 26· 13 dates$1,800
- TanzaniaDar es SalaamNext Oct 26· 13 dates$2,000
- TanzaniaZanzibarNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,600
NigeriaLagosNext Nov 16· 13 dates$2,800- NigeriaAbujaNext Nov 9· 13 dates$2,800
South AfricaPretoriaNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,200- South AfricaJohannesburgNext Nov 2· 13 dates$3,400
- South AfricaCape TownNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
UAEDubaiNext Oct 26· 13 dates$3,800
GhanaAccraNext Nov 16· 13 dates$4,500
Scroll sideways to see all 18 cities →
Frequently Asked Questions About Live Online Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course
Everything you need to know about this course before you register.
By the end of the Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools programme, you'll be able to translate research questions into measurable indicators and a survey design, select a sampling method and calculate a defensible sample size, write clear, unbiased questions and structure a logical questionnaire, and build mobile forms with validation, skip logic and repeat groups in kobo, odk or commcare. The full breakdown of topics is covered session by session in the Course Outline tab above.
The course suits people who commission, design or carry out data collection, including: Monitoring and evaluation officers and data managers, Research officers and survey coordinators, Field supervisors and enumerators moving into lead roles, Programme staff in health, education, agriculture and livelihoods, Statisticians and planning officers in national and county government, Market research and social research analysts, University researchers and postgraduate students, and Consultants conducting baselines and evaluations.
Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course typically runs as 5 Days. It's available as in-person classroom, live virtual, and in-house corporate training — every course can also be delivered on-site for your team on dates that suit you.
Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course is scheduled in-classroom in Nairobi, Kenya, Mombasa, Kenya, Naivasha, Kenya, and Kisumu, Kenya, and 14 other locations, plus a live interactive virtual classroom you can join from anywhere. Check the schedule panel above for exact upcoming dates and fees in each location.
The next live virtual cohort of Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools starts November 2, 2026, with new classroom cohorts also running on a rolling basis. Pick a date and location in the schedule panel above, then click "Register for the Course" — it takes a few minutes and your seat is confirmed once payment or a signed purchase order is received.
Yes — delegates who meet the attendance requirement receive a Certificate of Completion for Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course from Vision Reach Global Consultancy, issued in the name you register with, so double-check the spelling at checkout.
Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course is pitched at intermediate professionals. If you're unsure whether it's the right fit for your current role or background, message our training advisors before you register and they'll help you confirm.
Fees for Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course vary by delivery location and format and are shown in real time in the schedule panel above once you pick a date. Register 3 or more delegates on the same course together and a 5% team discount is applied automatically — larger cohorts can request a custom corporate quote.
Yes — Professional Data Collection, Survey Design & Mobile Tools Training Course can be delivered on-site at your offices (or virtually for distributed teams), with case studies and examples tailored to your industry and the specific challenges your team is working through. Switch to the "In-House" tab in the schedule panel above to request a proposal.
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